The B-Roll
In filmmaking, the A-roll of film carries the main action of the show. The B-roll is the secondary footage that fills in the breaks. Most of the time, I'm focused on what's in front of me. But when I get distracted, or take a break, the B-roll comes to the forefront again. It often sounds like, "You're not doing enough. Try harder. Work more. Be better." When the B-roll starts playing, I get anxious.
Instead. The Psalmist sharply contrasts this with listening to, fitting in with, or imitating those who live a foolish or wicked life. The mocker already knows everything, and delights in insulting anyone who thinks they know better. But the person who thrives intentionally pays attention to God's wisdom. Today, meditation has overtones of emptying oneself or sitting quietly. But ancient readers usually read out loud. The word for meditation describes a low murmuring, as people vocalized the words to hear and then understand what they were reading. I'm highly conscientious, so I've often misread the Bible. Because it says that the righteous meditate "day and night," I try to find a way to think about the Bible as much as possible. I judge myself for not constantly remembering God's word. That's my B-roll, using Scripture to make me feel like a guilty failure, even though I write Bible studies every day. The Psalmist is asking, "Over the course of the day, am I oriented to what God says, or what the world says?" I know that my legalistic zeal is misplaced because the righteous person enjoys God's word. I've started a lot of Bible reading plans the same way I start a marathon. I know the race will be painful, so I grit my teeth and try to get through it. I'm mainly looking forward to being done. I don't know any way to manufacture this joy. I don't have any secret tips for spiritual success. So before we even open the Bible, there's a prior question: what makes me happy? Where do I find joy? What do I want more than anything else? What's the B-roll of my life? If I'm already meditating on how to get famous, or indulge myself, or one-up someone else, then it will be harder to meditate on what God is saying to me. But Psalm 40 uses the same two Hebrew words: "I delight to do your will, my God, and your instruction is deep within me." Hebrews 10 tells us that's what Jesus said when he came into the world. Jesus is the only one who constantly delighted in God's instruction. We aim to be like him, but we receive delight in God's word as a gift he gives us, and not something to brag about. Whenever we find joy in God's word, the wise response is gratitude.
If you rewound and rewatched the B-roll from yesterday, what would you see and hear?
Does reading the Bible feel more like a delight or the eighteenth-mile of a marathon?
What changes if delighting in God's word is a gift from Jesus rather than a spiritual achievement?
Write down the sentence that's been distracting you from God's joy. Then, use a Bible search tool to find a verse that replaces that idea with God's wisdom. Check out the context to be sure you're understanding it correctly. Then, write that verse down on a few notecards and put them where you'll see them throughout the day.